You bring home your little bundle of joy and discoverthat his or her only missionis to rip your finger clean off your hand....

This kind of behavior can indicate an early sign of aggression. It's important to follow Proper Puppy Training methods to prevent potential problems as they become an adult dog.

"Bambi Has a Biting Chihuahua Puppy"...

Bambi Writes:

I have a 20-month old Chihuahua I've had since she was 6 weeks old. She developed a habit about 10 months ago of biting my hands. If she's sitting on my lap or beside me, and I either scratch my arm, reach for something, whatever, she will quickly snap her head around and bite my knuckle, my thumb, finger, whatever. She now knows after she's done it that it was wrong so runs to her little bed/cage and stays. I'm almost at my wits end and have even thought of trying to find another home for her, but I love her and would like to find something I could do that will stop this habit. I do say "no biting" when she does bite. I don't think she means to hurt me, but the aggressiveness is really hard to understand here.

Dog Training Advisor Responds:

She's testing you. Since she's continuing to bite obviously a verbal correction is not motivational. There are few things you can do. (1) Give her a scruff shake, (2) fold hr lips over her teeth so she bites herself, or (3) keep a micro-prong collar and tab lead on her (when supervised) and issue a leash correction. When you correct her, offer her your hand again and if she chooses not to bite, praise her and give her an acceptable chew toy. But, if she tries to bite again, you'll know your correction was not motivational to her. Make sure to read the Puppy Biting Section of "Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer".